Like many civilian ships, science vessels are not designed for combat and their only viable strategy is to run when facing marauders or pirate vessels. Some science vessels are equipped with light defensive armament and defensive suites. Still, evasion is almost always the best plan of action.

Science vessels span a vast variety of roles and missions, often possessing overlap with other classes and archetypes. Most such vessels are equipped with advanced sensors, rotating residential habitats to not interrupt sensitive gravitic components, and often experimental devices. [1]

Laboratory ships are perhaps the best known of this archetype and can literally be found throughout Charted Space, often coming and going from well known universities, private research institutions, megacorporate headquarters, and Research Stations. [2]

Research smallcraft are specialized utility craft used to conduct scientific research, laboratory experiments, science lander missions, and a variety of missions designed to support science vessels. [4]

U = Utility

NOTES: There is semantic overlap between many of the classes and codes. Some codes organize by mission or capability, others by size and tonnage, and yet others by other characteristics.